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The Green Bay Packers (3-1-1) are heading west this week to face the Arizona Cardinals (2-4).
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray missed last week’s game against the Indianapolis Colts with a foot injury, but has been a limited participant in practice this week, a potential sign that he could suit up on Sunday.
Arizona has lost four straight and could use a signature win to turn its season around. Meanwhile, Green Bay is looking to build off last week’s 27-18 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals and maintain its first-place status in the NFC North.
To do that, Sunday’s matchup against the Cardinals could come down to winning these key matchups:
S Javon Bullard vs TE Trey McBride
McBride is one of the best pass-catching tight ends in the NFL and could present some problems for the Packers’ defense. He’s coming off a 1,100-yard season and is Arizona’s leading receiver again this year. McBride splits time between lining up inline and in the slot, so he could be matched up with Bullard, Green Bay’s primary nickel, quite a bit. In Week 1, Bullard allowed another top tight end in Sam Laporta to catch three passes for 24 yards against his coverage, according to Pro Football Focus, to finish with 79 yards on six receptions. McBride has been held to less than 50 yards in two games this season, so that could be an achievable goal for the Packers. However, that would become increasingly difficult if Marvin Harrison Jr. is still in concussion protocol, and McBride is the No. 1 option on Sunday.
RB Josh Jacobs vs Cardinals’ run defense
Green Bay’s ground game has picked up steam over the past two games, bolstered by an 86-yard rushing performance from Jacobs against the Dallas Cowboys and a season-high 93 rushing yards in last week’s win over the Bengals. Jacobs is still not as efficient as he’d like to be (3.7 yards per carry), but he’s heading into another favorable matchup against a struggling Arizona run defense. Jonathan Taylor had his way against the Cardinals in Week 6, totaling 123 rushing yards on 23 attempts. Jacobs hasn’t had a 100-yard rushing game since Week 12 of last season, but this might be his chance to end the drought.
TE Tucker Kraft vs LB Mack Wilson Sr.
McBride isn’t the only tight end who is important to keep tabs on during Sunday’s game. Kraft is Green Bay’s leading receiver through the first five games and will have a good opportunity to keep that production going in Week 7. Wilson has surrendered 218 passing yards in coverage this season, the 13th most among linebackers, per PFF. In last Sunday’s loss to the Colts, he allowed 65 yards on five receptions, with 28 of those yards coming from rookie TE Tyler Warren. Unlike McBride, Kraft takes a high percentage (72 percent) of his offensive snaps inline, which means a better chance of being covered by linebackers. Getting Wilson to cover Kraft may be something the Packers try to take advantage of.
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